Udappuwa Police have arrested an individual with 85 star tortoises, which is a protected species under the Flora and Fauna Protection Ordinance.
The suspect was arrested in the Batthaluoya area. Police said he was arrested based on information received that an individual in the area was in possession of star tortoises of various sizes.
The suspect had kept the tortoises inside a special enclosure inside his house. Police suspect that he was either planning to send the tortoises to another country or to sell them to hotels.
Police have taken measures to hand over the star tortoises to the Department of Wildlife Conservation while legal action is to be taken against the victim.
By Jayaratne Wickramaarachchi in Kaluwaragaswewa
The Colombo–Kandy main road at Pahala Kadugannawa has been closed indefinitely after a deadly rockfall in the area that left six people dead and four others injured.
The Cyclonic Storm “Ditwah” moved further north from Trincomalee today evening leaving a trail of destruction including more than 90 deaths, over 100 missing and tens of thousands displaced, officials said.
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